Podcasts Simply Are Part of the Human Experience

Why You Should Be Listening to Podcasts

Storytelling is a hallmark element of the human experience. Sharing stories is intrinsic to every society and culture under the sun. Books, films, paintings – and now podcasts – are examples of how we take part in this element of the human experience.

Technology has shaped and influenced the increasing popularity of audio storytelling, or podcasts, because smart phones and tablets provide media content on demand. According to Forbes magazine, 80 percent of all podcast listeners use their smart phones while listening. The great news for HR professionals is that we recently launched our very own podcast, the HR Break Room™, dedicated to bringing listeners interesting break room conversations with experts on the hottest topics in HR and HR technology.

While 300 million Americans are listening to the radio, an estimated 57 million Americans are also listening to podcasts. So, what’s the deal with this 21 percent of Americans who are listening to podcasts?

The Benefits

Redeemed Time – Podcasts allow you to learn while redeeming time that would otherwise be spent on a mundane task, like driving. Remember when your college classes met an hour or two a week? Over the course of a semester, your hours added up and your knowledge of the subject matter increased. Consider this: An hour or two driving each day to and from the office also adds up. With podcasts, you easily can turn your commute into a classroom.

On-Demand Tech – Most podcasts are free and are always on demand. You decide what you want to hear when you want to hear it. Once you’ve subscribed to a podcast, new episodes automatically are downloaded to your phone and you easily can listen at your convenience.

Introduction to New Ideas – Much like watching broadcast news, when listening to a podcast, you are trusting the host to present you with different topics. Often, these topics may be new and unfamiliar, and you find yourself quickly learning concepts you hadn’t yet considered.

Brain Stimulation – Listening to a podcast is good brain hygiene. Emma Rodero, communications professor of Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University, studies how audio productions (podcasts) retain people’s attention. Rodero said that listening, unlike looking at a written page, is more active, since the brain has to process the information at the pace it is played.

How to Listen

If you’ve listened to music on your phone, then you can subscribe to a podcast. The easiest ways to listen is through the iTunes® app for iPhone users, the Google Play™ store for Android users, or take it a step further and download the popular android podcast app Stitcher Radio.

Episode 3 – Employee Career Beginnings: Learn about the employee life cycle and successful onboarding strategies.

Upcoming Episodes

Episodes four and five of the HR Break Room™podcast will discuss effective strategies for employee training with an award-winning corporate trainer and an interview with an actual Paycom client who recently revolutionized its large workforce through Paycom’s Learning Management System.

No matter what you choose to listen to on your smart phone while redeeming your time, we hope it stimulates your brain, increases your knowledge and expands on your own human experience.

Chelsea is co-host Paycom’s HR Break Room podcast, editor-in-chief of its corporate culture magazine, Paycom Pulse and is Paycom’s communications supervisor. During her more than eight years in marketing, corporate training and communications, she has created hundreds of magazines, training guides, videos and webinars for multiple industries. In her free time, Chelsea is planning her next travel adventure, perfecting her most recent baking recipe, devouring a good book and, above all, spending time with family.